Ecommerce panel discusses key problems at its first meet

NEW DELHI: Industry secretary chaired panel on ecommerce discussed issues related to definition of ecommerce and grievances related to it in its first meeting held on Thursday.

The panel, which will meet again next month, has been set up to deliberate “ongoing issues in ecommerce”, as per officials.

“This is a standing panel which will continue to discuss wider issues in ecommerce,” said an official in the know of details and added that the committee is different from the inter-ministerial task force that is working on the draft ecommerce policy.

Headed by industry secretary Ramesh Abhishek, the panel has secretaries of ministry of electronics and information technology, and department of commerce, as its members. Representatives of Niti Aayog, Enforcement Directorate, consumer affairs department, Reserve Bank of India and finance ministry also attended the meeting.

The other issues which figured in the meeting included payment mechanisms, ways to control sale of counterfeit products through online platforms, and facilitating logistics for the sector.

The meeting assumes significance in the wake of various sections of the industry and government raising concerns on certain clauses of the draft ecommerce policy which was then reviewed by the Prime Minister’s Office a few weeks ago.

The proposed policy has suggested a possible alternative as “ecommerce may be understood to mean buying, selling, marketing, distribution, or delivery of goods and services through electronic means and digital products.”

Digital products which were delivered in tangible form but now can be delivered in electronic form e.g. e-music, e-books, movies, software etc. Activities such as leasing are included in the above definition, as per the draft.